Press Release

(Hong Kong – 14 February 2014) Six student members of the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE), who had participated in the training programme jointly organised by the HKAGE and the International Mathematical Olympiad Hong Kong Committee, delivered outstanding performance in the 29th China Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), winning two silver and four bronze medals.

Organised by the China Mathematical Olympiad Committee, the 29th CMO was held from 19 to 23 December 2013 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. More than 360 high school students from 35 teams representing 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia and Singapore took part in the competition.

The youngest member of the Hong Kong team, Yu Hoi Wai, an S3 student of La Salle College, performed brilliantly in the competition and won a silver medal. He said, modestly, that he was so fortunate to be awarded. He added, “I had heard about the CMO from a senior student but I had never thought I would participate in it. From receiving notification in November to setting off for the competition in mid-December, I had less than one month for preparation, so simply being there was already a privilege for me.” He also commented that the courses offered by HKAGE kindled his learning interest, saying: “There are many options of courses which are interesting and highly interactive. I have learnt something very different from what is taught at school, plus the courses are taught by experienced instructors, who have stimulated my interest in learning and never made me get bored with the courses.”

Chong Hip Kuen, who represented Hong Kong to compete in the CMO for the first time, frankly said that he competed with the goal of enjoying the competition. Thus, feeling no pressure, he could win an award. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained”; Chong made strenuous effort to prepare for the competition but he thought that all the effort was worth it. He added, “Everyone was engrossed in various Mathematical Olympiad books. Nevertheless, it was really unforgettable to work hard together with my teammates. The time when all team members were in the mathematical world was probably the moment I enjoyed the most.”

Chong also stated that he had gained substantial benefits from the courses offered by the HKAGE, which helped him solve different types of problems. He said, “Of course the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) Training Course has given me the greatest inspiration. Through the course I learnt to use different methods and techniques, including the most common brute-force method, trial and error and the less frequently-used differentiation, to deal with a variety of problems. The HKAGE Maths Analysis Overture is another deeply inspiring course. The course made me realise that it is sometimes very difficult to prove some common cause-and-effect relationships; for example, the statement ‘If AB+BC is not equal to AC, then A,B,C  are not collinear’ looks simple, but I find it very difficult to understand.”

Members of the Hong Kong Team:

Six student members of the HKAGE (from left to right: Wong Hing Shing, Tang Dik Man, Damian, Wong Sze Nga, Hui Pak Nam, Yu Hoi Wai, Chong Hip Kuen) represented Hong Kong to compete in the 29th CMO, winning two silver and four bronze medals.